Puller-feed mechanism for sewing machines



March 24, 1936. A. B. CLAYTON FULLER FEED MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Feb. 7, 1955 I5 Sheds-Sheet l March 24, 1936. A. B. CLAYTON 2,035,365

FULLER FEED MECHANISM FOR SEWING'MACHINES Filed Feb. 7, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 WWW W7 g) I Show;

March 24, 1936.-

A. B. CLAYTON 2,035,365

FULLER FEED MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Feb. 7, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 @HIIP F 5 WJ VneQm g f Patented Mar. 24, 1936 7 PULLER-FEED MECHANISM ron SEWING MACHINES g Andrew B. Clayton. Union, N. J., assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Elizabeth,

Application February 7, 1935, Serial No. 5,352

7 Claims.

This invention relates to work-feeding mechanisms for sewing machines more particularly of the type known as puller-feed mechanisms which commonly comprise feed-rollers arranged to engage the work in rear of the sewing machine needle and exert a pull on the work to assist the usual four-motion feed-dog in feeding the work through the machine.

The present invention has for an object to provide an upper work-engaging presser-roller which will readily ride over heavy cross-seams in the work and which may be readily lifted and lowered at the will of the operator for the removal and insertion of work.

A further object of the invention is to provide a puller-feed mechanism, the feed-rolls of which will readily ride over heavy cross-seams in the work without slippage of the work-engaging rollers relative to the work and without cramping of the parts or working joints of the mechanism.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations, and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation, partly in section. of a sewing machine embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a rear side elevation of the machine. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the machine bed. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an end view of the drive-head on the upper main horizontal feed-wheel-driving shaft. Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-8, Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a section on the line 1-1, Fig. 2, and Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8, Fig. 2.

r The machine has the usual frame including the bed I and standard 2 carrying the overhanging bracket-arm 3 terminating in the head 4. The bed I carries the usual cloth-plate 5.

The stitch-forming mechanism comprises the usual reciprocatory needle-bar 6 carrying the needles I which cooperate with the thread-car rying loopers 8 actuated by suitable mechanism driven by the main-shaft 3.

The machine has a four-motion feed-dog III which works in the feed-dog slots II- in the throat-plate l2. The feed-dog I is mounted on the laterally offset bracket l3 mounted by screws l4 upon the feed-bar I which is fulcrumed at l6 upon the feed-rocker ll; the latter being pivoted at I8 to the bed I. The feed-rocker I1 is connected by the pitman 28 to the usual adjustable feed-eccentric 2| on the main-shaft 9. The feed-lift eccentric 22 on the main-shaft 3 is embraced by the eccentric follower 23 having 5 rigid therewith the axially alined diametrically opposed pins 24 which slidably carry the feed-bar l5 and bracket l3 rigidly mounted thereon and constituting a part thereof.

Journaled in bearings 25, 25 in the bed-casting I is the shaft 26 carrying the lower toothed puller-feed roller 21 which is disposed closely in rear of the feed-dog l0 and works in a slot 28 in. the throat-plate l2. The shaft 26, Fig. 3, carries a spur-gear 29 meshing with a spur-gear 30 on the shaft 3| journaled in the bearings 32,

33 in the bed-casting. Step-by-step rotary feedmovements are imparted to the shaft 3| by the usual adjustable puller-feed-actuating eccentric 34 on the main-shaft 9. This eccentric 34 actuates a pitman 35 which drives the shaft 3| through the usual roller-clutch mechanism 36, such as disclosed in United States Patent No. 1,980,603,

of Nov. 13, 1934. r

The main puller-feed shaft 31 has fixed to its rearward end a bevel gear 31 with which meshes the bevel gear 38 fixed to the lower end of the vertical shaft 39 journaled ina bearing lug 48 on the standard 2. The shaft 39 is bevel geared at 4| to the horizontal shaft 42 journaled in a bearing lug 42' on the standard 2. The shaft 42 has fixed to it a shaft-head 43 formed with a socket 44 for the ball-shaped end 45 of an inclined shaft-section 46 in the form of a sleeve which slidably receives an axially ained shaftsection 41 terminating in a ball-shaped end 48. The shaft-head 43 has cut therein the diametrically opposed co-planar slots 49 which receive the cross-pin 58 carried by the ball 45. This construction forms a universal joint connection between the shafts 42 and 46.

The sleeve-shaft-section 46 is formed with the diametrically opposed co-plmar slots 5| which receive the cross-pin 52 carried by the shaft-section 41. A coiled expansion-spring 53 is arranged within the sleeve shaft-section 46 to bear upon the end of the shaft-section 41 and yieldingy urge the shaft-sect ons 46, 41 in opposite directions to maintain the balls 45, 48 seated in their rmpective sockets 44. 54; the socket 54 bein formed in the head 55 of the shaft 56 to which the toothed upper feed-roller 51 is fixed. The ball 48 carries a cross-pin 58 which. works in the slots 53, Fig. 6, in the head 55.

The shaft 56 carrying the upper feed-roller 55 51 is journaled in bearings in the spaced forwardly extending arms 80 of a horizontally disposed lever 6l the slotted rear end of which is fulcrumed on the cross-pin 62 fixed to the lower end of the inclined arm 63, the upper end of which is formed as a split clamp 64 rigidly gripping the reduced lower end 65 of the bearing boss 68 for the vertically movable auxiliary presserbar 61.

The auxiliary presser-bar 61 is formed at its lower end with a head 68 which is received in a pocket 69 and held therein by a top-plate or keeper 18 which is fastened to the lever 6| by a screw II. A coiled spring 12 surrounding the presser-bar 61 urges the latter downwardly to yieldingly press the upper feed-roller 51 upon the work 13 passing from under the usual main presser-foot 14 carried by the main presser-bar 15.

The auxiliary presser-bar 61 has fixed thereto a block 16 carrying a roller 11 which is engaged by the arm I8 of a presser-lifting lever 19 fulcrumed at on the frame lug 8| which rigidly carries the vertical guide-pin 82 embraced by the slotted end 83 of the block 16. A hand-operated spring-pressed latch-lever 84 is fulcrumed at 85 on the lever 19 and has at its lower end a lateral extension 86 which, when the presser-bar 61 and feed-roller 51 are lifted, engages the frame notch 81 to hold these parts lifted until released by the operator.

The gearing ratios of the gear-driven parts of the puller-feed mechanism are so chosen as to impart to the upper and lower feed-rollers 51 and 21 the same peripheral speed, so that neither will slip relative to the work I3.

It will be observed that the carrier-lever 6| for the upper feed-roller 51 is disposed substantially horizontally with its fulcrum 62 at substantially the same level or elevation above the plane of the work as the shaft 56 carrying the upper feed-roller 51. This provision enables the upper feed roller 51 to readily rise and fall in riding over heavy cross-seams in the work, without any cramping or binding of the vertically movable parts against their bearings. The con-- struction also permits the upper roller 51 to be raised and lowered, at the will of the operator, by manipulation of the hand-lever 19.

The main presser-bar 15 carrying the presserfoot 14 may, of course, be lifted by the usual treadle-chain operated lifting lever 88 or handlever-operated lifting cam- 89.

By providing a vertical shaft 39 on the standard 2, to drive the upper puller-feed roller 51, I am enabled to provide adequate space between the cloth-plate 5 and the upper feed-roller driving connections 46, 41 for the free passage and handling of the work.

Having thus set forth the nature of the in-"' an overhanging bracket-arm, a work-feeder supported below said throat-plate, a presser-roller above said throat-plate, a lever extending rearwardly from said presser-roller and in which the latter is journaled, a fixed fulcrum for said lever, a presser-bar mounted in said bracket-arm and connected at its lower end to said lever to both depress and lift the latter, a spring for depressing said presser-bar, and manually operated means for lifting said presser-bar and holding it in lifted position.

3. In a sewing machine, a throat-plate and an overhanging bracket-arm, a work-feeder supported below said throat-plate, a presser-roller above said throat-plate, a lever extending rearwardly from said presser-roller in the direction of feed and in which said presser-roller is journaled, a fixed fulcrum for said lever carried by said bracket-arm, manually operated means for swinging said lever upwardly about its fulcrum to raise said presser-roller from the work, and means for positively driving said presser-roller in timed relation to said work-feeder.

4. A puller-feed mechanism for sewing machines having, in combination, a frame including a bed, a standard rising from said bed, an overhanging bracket-arm carried by said standard and terminating at its free end in a head, a throat-plate, lower and upper puller-feed rollers and driving shafts therefor carried, respectively, 1

. by said bed and bracket-arm head, a vertical shaft journaled on said standard in interconnecting relation with said driving shafts, and means for driving said interconnected shafts.

5. A sewing machine having stitch-forming mechanism including a reciprocatory needle, a throat-plate, a presser-foot, a four-motion feeddog disposed below and in cooperative relation with said presser-foot, a puller-feed roller disposed above said throat-plate closely in rear of said presser-foot, a lever carrying said pullerfeed roller, a fixed fulcrum for said lever, manually operated means for lifting said lever, and means for driving said puller-feed roller.

6. A sewing machine having stitch-forming mechanism including a reciprocatory needle, a throat-plate, a presser-foot, a four-motion feeddog disposed below and in cooperative relation with said presser-foot, a puller-feed'roller disposed above said throat-plate closely in rear of said presser-foot, a lever carrying said pullerfeed roller, a fixed fulcrum for said lever in rear of said puller-feed roller, and manually operated means connected to said lever between said fixed fulcrum and puller-feed roller for lifting the latter.

'7. In a sewing machine, a cloth-plate, a feedroller above said cloth-plate, a shaft parallel to said cloth-plate and carrying said feed-roller, manually controlled means for raising and lowering said shaft relative to said cloth-plate, a drive-shaft parallel to said cloth-plate and spaced both endwise and sidewise from said feed-roller carrying shaft, a two-sectioned endwise extensible inclined shaft having ball-and-socket universal joint connections at its opposite ends with said horizontal shafts, means for imparting stepby-step rotary motion to said drive shaft. and a spring carried-by said inclined shaft for yieldingly expanding the latter endwise.

ANDREW B. CLAYTON. 

